IN different circumstances, Hibernian and Aberdeen might have viewed their cinch Premiership match in Leith this afternoon as the chance to give their chances of European qualification a fillip.
The Easter Road and Pittodrie clubs were, despite the unhappiness that abounds among their fans about their form and results of late, in sixth and fifth place in the table respectively going into the game.
Yet, their Scottish Cup fourth round defeats had led to the pressure on Lee Johnson and Jim Goodwin mounting massively – and this encounter in the capital being dubbed “El Sackico” by waspish online wags.
More than three points were on the line when referee Craig Napier blew his whistle to start proceedings. The jobs of both managers hinged on the outcome of the 90 minutes.
Johnson, whose team bounced back from their 3-0 loss at the hands of their city rivals Hearts on Sunday with a resounding and timely triumph, will live to fight another day.
It is, though, impossible to see how Goodwin, whose charges were humiliated at the hands of sixth tier Darvel in Ayrshire on Monday night, can survive another heavy reverse. It is now a case of when he is handed his P45 not if.
A Josh Campbell double and Elie Youan goal had effectively wrapped up the win for Hibs by half-time. Kevin Nisbet came on in the second-half and fired beyond Joe Lewis before Campbell converted a penalty to complete a hat-trick. Will Fish made it six in injury-time.
Here are five talking points from the match.
GOODWIN IS GONE
The Irishman might have survived the ignominious defeat to sixth tier Darvel in Ayrshire on Monday night. But Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack had warned in a statement that there had to be “an immediate response”. None was forthcoming. It was just the same old story.
The north-east outfit’s biggest issue since club football resumed after the World Cup last month has been keeping the ball out of their own net; they had conceded 17 goals in their last nine outings. They fell two behind in the opening 15 minutes this afternoon and were three down at half-time.
The travelling supporters unveiled a banner which read “Goodwin Out” before kick-off and nothing they witnessed in the opening 45 minutes changed their view. After Youan headed in the third they started chanting: “Goodwin! Goodwin! Get tae f***!” They will soon get their wish.
Whoever comes in to take over – and there is no obvious replacement waiting in the wings – will have a hell of a job on their hands. Finishing in the top six looks beyond Aberdeen at the present moment in time.
DONS DEFENCE
Aberdeen took Rangers to extra-time in the Viaplay Cup semi-final at Hampden a fortnight ago. But that gutsy display has not been repeated since. They were woeful at the back once again this afternoon.
Goodwin has been keen to bolster his squad with another centre half during the January transfer window and it is easy to see why. The ease with which their opponents scored was staggering. But was playing Jonny Hayes at left back outside Liam Scales wise?
NEW HIBS DYNAMIC DUO
The departure of Ryan Porteous for Watford for a six figure fee yesterday afternoon came as no surprise; Hibs announced at the start of the month that the Scotland internationalist was “likely” to leave.
But his exit came at the worst possible time for Johnson. It had been confirmed that his fellow centre half Rocky Bushiri would be sidelined for at least three months as a result of the ankle injury he suffered last weekend.
Paul Hanlon and Will Fish stepped into their boots today. Could they show that their defensive duo would not be missed? Nullifying the threat posed by Bojan Miovski was a stern challenge for the pair. The North Macedonian forward had been on target on 13 occasions in the 2022/23 campaign.
But Miovski received next to no service from those behind him. David Marshall did not have a single save of note to make. Hanlon and Fish can take confidence from the clean sheet. But they will not have many easier days at the office.
CAMPBELL HAT-TRICK
No Kevin Nisbet, no problem. The Scotland striker did not train this week due to the interest that Millwall had expressed in securing his services. It looked though he was going to end up at the London club after a seven figure bid was accepted.
Nisbet sprang a surprise yesterday when he declined to accept what would have been a lucrative move for him. He was named in the match day squad by Johnson this afternoon. But he started on the bench.
Not having the player who had netted seven goals in seven appearances since returning from a long-term injury lay-off on the park did not prove a problem for Hibs. Campbell, who had claimed a brace in the 3-1 win over the same team back in September, bagged a quickfire double.
Nisbet came on with 12 minutes remaining and got in on the act after Campbell had played him through and Liam Scales had slipped and fallen. He then won a penalty which Campbell buried after Scales tripped him inside his own area and was red carded.
HIBEES FOR EUROPE?
This emphatic win saw Hibs leapfrog Aberdeen into fifth place in the Premiership. They are just a point behind Livingston, who have two games in hand and host Hearts this afternoon, and their next objective will be catching and overtaking the West Lothian outfit. Can they build on this display and result and enjoy a successful campaign? There was much for them to be encouraged by.
